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Say you are a wizard and you have a wand of shocking grasp.
Say someone comes up to disarm the wand from you (and they do not have Improved Disarm).
Assuming the wand is in your hand and has charges, can you make an opportunity attack with the wand, expending a charge to make a touch attack and use the shocking grasp?
No using a wand is a standard action therefore you can't use it to make an AoO.
I would say that until you take a standard action to activate the spell, it is just an expensive wimpy stick.
Now if you cast the spell, and were holding a charge, and someone tried to grab it, they might trigger the spell without an action on your part. I would have to look up the text, but accidental discharge of touch spells used to be a danger.
Y'know, with the title of the thread I thought this was going to be a discussion on how threatening it is to stick a wand in someone's face for intimidation purposes...
That tactic was invented in 25,000 BC by Yarg the Hunter. It has been worth a +2 ever since.
I would say that until you take a standard action to activate the spell, it is just an expensive wimpy stick.
Now if you cast the spell, and were holding a charge, and someone tried to grab it, they might trigger the spell without an action on your part. I would have to look up the text, but accidental discharge of touch spells used to be a danger.
An interesting thought, however making a touch attack with a touch spell is also a standard action. I haven't seen anything that suggests being touched would cause a touch spell to discharge on the caster -- otherwise I would ready action beside the cleric to interrupt him before he can touch someone with a cure spell (or heal spell) so he heals me instead of the target he intended to.
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Hmm, theoretically then RAW, a wizard with a wand doesn't provide a flanking bonus to someone on the other side of the bad guy.
I'd guess it wouldn't be a terrible house rule to say that a wizard with a wand in hand that has charges and contains spells that are for melee touch attacks threatens with the wand.
I can't see too much abuse if allowed (correct me if there is something), especially since staves and rods can threaten/be used for AOOs.
Well, you can say that the wand is an improvised weapon (-4 to attack rolls). For weapon-draw pourposes a wand isn't a weapon but is stated to be a "weapon-like" object that can be drawn for free while moving.
By the way you touch the targets with the hand or your unarmed/natural attack, not with the wand or any object or weapon.
No using a wand is a standard action therefore you can't use it to make an AoO.
That's a terrible explanation because a basic attack is also a standard action.
Making a touch attack with a charge is an armed attack action. I would therefore rule that a wizard holding a charge is considered armed, threatens squares within his reach, gives flanking with allies, and can make an AoO with the touch spell.
So a wizard wielding a wand isn't armed unless you rule the wand itself is a weapon (like a staff or club). But if it's a wand of shocking grasp, you could cast the spell and hold the charge to become armed until you discharge it.
Making a touch attack with a charge is an armed attack action. I would therefore rule that a wizard holding a charge is considered armed, threatens squares within his reach, gives flanking with allies, and can make an AoO with the touch spell.
So a wizard wielding a wand isn't armed unless you rule the wand itself is a weapon (like a staff or club). But if it's a wand of shocking grasp, you could cast the spell and hold the charge to become armed until you discharge it.
True, explained in the "“Armed” Unarmed Attacks:" paragraph of page 182 of the Core rulebook.
No using a wand is a standard action therefore you can't use it to make an AoO.That's a terrible explanation because a basic attack is also a standard action.
Consider:
"An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and most characters can only make one per round. You don't have to make an attack of opportunity if you don't want to. You make your attack of opportunity at your normal attack bonus, even if you've already attacked in the round."
So before you ask, "How do we get to do some combat maneuvers then?" Because they specifically state you can do them "in place of a melee attack" which a touch attack from a spell does not say.
EDIT:
However having rechecked through the PF SRD, I can't find a specific spot where it actually says touch attacks are a standard action in and of themselves -- several spells do state that making a touch attack with the spell is a standard action but not all spells, and no where else is it mentioned --
SO if you aren't using a spell that specifies that it takes a standard action to touch with it I would think that you could take an AoO with the touch attack.